Oh MissSherry, I love the pic. Gorgeous and the buttonbush too.

I'm interested in in native plants, but I never wanted a buttonbush based on the pictures I've seen of it in books and on the internet. A few weeks ago I was on an easy hike and saw the plant in flower. MissSherry, that's as good a picture as I've seen of it, but somehow the pictures just don't do the plant justice. This has happened with me for other plants too, but I admit I'm not quite sure why. This plant is definitely on my wishlist now.

Lori

Yes, the flowers are SO interesting looking, Lori, and they smell like honey, something like butterfly bush flowers - I've read that one of the common names is honey balls. The leaves are very beautiful - they're always a variety of colors at any time of the year, at least down here they are. The new growth is red, it turns green, and a few of the leaves turn red or yellow or orange before fall, giving it a croton look. I really like it, and the butterflies act addicted to it. The only thing wrong with it I can see is that it only blooms once a year - hopefully, it'll be a long blooming period.
MissSherry
P.S. And with all those weeds, you can hardly even see the whole plant - maybe next year I'll have this hurricane ravaged property of mine in better shape! Then maybe I can get a picture that shows it off better!

I have noticed this buttonbush growing on the side of the road too. Never have seen a butterfly on it but I want to get a cutting. Did you do just a regular cutting or something special? Will get it soon.

Leubafr

I just took a regular cutting, didn't use any rooting powders, put it in a shady place and kept it moist - it rooted right away.
The original group of buttons or honey balls have flowered out already, but another group is coming on - I hope this continues on.
MissSherry

MissSherry,

This is the second year for my 4 buttonbush plants. They're growing well BUT THEY HAVEN'T EVER FLOWERED. Is this normal? Seeing the Tigers on your buttonbush made me impatient AND ENVIOUS.

mike

The only reason I can think of that yours haven't bloomed, Mike, is that they're not getting enough sunshine. Buttonbushes normally grow in wet, sunny ditches or on the edges of ponds, also sunny. I didn't have enough sunlight for them myself until the hurricane took down so many trees. Of course now I have weeds, but buttonbush naturally grows among other "weeds."
Speaking of no trees, we left the big, dead pines that weren't close enough to the house to fall on it for woodpeckers. Last night we had a big wind with some rain, and the top of one of them came down right in the weedy buttonbush area - I'll be cleaning up hurricane debris for years, but at least the woodpeckers will benefit. Even pileated woodpeckers are common now.
MissSherry

MissSherry,

Thanks for the additional information about these plants. I wasn't aware of those benefits.

Lori

I am bumping this back up. Miss Sherry - do you have any seed to share from this plant? It is one of the ones on the UF list for nectar plants that I got when we visited the Butterfly Rainforest

No, wish I did, Mary, but it's real easy to root. You can probably find it growing in just about any ditch - if not, I'll save you some seed if I get any. Last year's flowers just sort of dried up, I couldn't see where they made any seeds.
MissSherry

I ordered and rec'd a buttonbush from Mail Order Natives last fall but it died after about 2 months. I tried to keep it wet enough but whatever I did wasn't right. I don't lose many plants and regret this loss because I had read how attractive it was to butterflies.
Maybe I'll try again.

It sure is an interesting plant. I would like to get several of the ones on the Uf list. I have heard others mention Joe-Pye Weed and Ironweed on the forum. So you have those, Miss Sherry? I wish I was better at identifying the native plants that grow around here.

I've got some ironweed, Mary - it's one of my favorite nectar plants -
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Joepye weed grows in the same wet areas around here that buttonbush grows, but I don't have any of it myself because it gets so tall - it wouldn't fit in with anything. If it were a tree, it'd be okay to be 9' or 10' tall, but it's just a branchless perennial that usually winds up bending over from its own weight. Butterflies don't care, they love the flowers even bent over, though. They sell shorter growing types, but I've never tried those - I've got so many nectar plants already!
MissSherry

Wow - I have a Buttonbush (cephalanthus occidentalis) that I ordered plus seeds. Does this mean I could put it in a pot of water and grow it????? Seriously, the section of lawn I was going to plant it in (after I get rid of all the weeds and bermuda-ha ha) stays pretty wet - well, wet for Oklahoma. I would have to water it, no doubt about that, but once it's watered thoroughly, it doesn't dry out as quickly as other areas in my yard.

Or, I could put it in this really big pot I have (almost as big as a half whiskey barrel), that doesn't have a drainage hole, stuff it half full of styrofoam peanuts, fill it with dirt and grow it that way.

Which do you think would be best. People are always talking about having wet ditches and wet boggy areas in their yards, and Linda and I are scratching our heads (aren't we, LInda?) thinking about the lack of wet anything in Oklahoma during the summer. Our annual rainfall is way below most of you guys. And, if we get a sprinkle between June and September, we are very lucky.

The only place that stays wet in my yard is on the east side where it gets some sun, not a lot, and is right by the drain on my A/C Unit. Hmmmm. Maybe I should try it there, but it wouldn't get as much sun.

Susan

The purple flower I take it is Ironweed, right? That is a gorgeous picture, Miss Sherry!

Susan, would you be willing to trade seeds? I have Butterfly Pea Vine and Pipevine seeds both tropical A.elegans and A.fimbrata. Don't know if any of those interest you as host plants.

I also have lots of Passionvine Suberosa for Gulf Frits. Don't know if that is something you might use or not.

I have other nectar flower seeds too.

That's ironweed, Mary! It photographed more blue purple than it really is - it's really more reddish purple.
I noticed this morning that the buttonbush in the picture is finally leafing out - it's funny how some things leaf out so much earlier than others!
MissSherry

Mary, I would send you some seeds. My problem is I'm very slow about getting around to doing things like that. My memory is really bad anymore, and I babysit my granddaughter while my daughter works, so most days I can't remember my own name. I have fimbriata, but thanks for the offer. Don't need to send me anything, and I'll send em to you; don't need to send me any postage or anything.

Susan

Hi, I'm looking for this plant, also, for obvious reasons. I could plunk mine in the pond, right? Anyway, I am looking for a mailorder source for this plant. Any suggestions would be mightily appreciated. Thanks, Buttoneer.

Since you're in PA, how about Musser Forests? I've never ordered from them, but I've got their catalog, and it looks like a good mail-order nursery. I have ordered from Niche Gardens in Chapel Hill, NC, and they carry buttonbush, too - they sell quality plants.
Buttonbush is about the easiest plant in the world to root. If you can find some growing roadside, just take as many cuttings as you want bushes, stick them in decent soil, keep them moist/wet in a shady place, and you'll have rooted plants in about a week!
MissSherry

Here is a link that might be useful: Bottonbush at Musser Forests

MissSherry I just love reading your posts. You are so knowledgable about everything "butterfly". I would love to see your garden someday. I take it that you are on the coast. I don't get there often but my husband goes there alot to help out with the restoration business of Beauvoir. I am in Amite County. I had never considered a button bush as a butterfly magnet but will start looking for one. I found some Joe Pye at the end of my drive last year but didn't rescue it, now the road crew has mowed it down. But I do have the ironweed and the wild verbena in my yard. My favorite butterfly plants are the wild verbena and zinnia's. The wild verbena if brought into a garden setting will thrive from spring to fall with the flowers and plant being much larger than what will grow on the side of the road. They attract alot of the early butterflies.

Thanks for the kind words, Butterflutter! Sounds like you're around McComb - I'm just north of Wiggins, almost exactly halfway between Hattiesburg and Gulfport, out in the country. Tell your husband 'Thank You!' from me for helping to restore Beauvoir! The damage done to the historical homes/buildings on the coast was one of the worst parts of the hurricane - resoring Beauvoir will be an unbelievably huge job! I used to love to go to the museum in the basement - I guess everything that was in it was destroyed, and what a shame, all those old clothes and civil war uniforms. We lived in Gulfport for 30 years, and it's such a kick in the stomach to drive down the beach in Harrison County, we just don't go back. Except we will be going to Emeril Lagasse's new restaurant in Gulfport for our 41st anniversary next month - his wife is from Gulfport, and she graduated from high school with my daugther.
Do you know the scientific name of the wild verbena you're talking about? There are several different types that I see growing wild along roadsides. I know what you mean about growing wild plants in your garden - when you fertilize them, they can get huge!
MissSherry

Yes, it's around McComb and no not everything was destroyed at Beauvoir, alot was salvaged and some was stored on the top floor of the library during the hurricane.
The scientific name of the verbena is v.bonariensis commonly known as Tall Verbena or even Purpletop. It is a very old plant with orgins dating back to the early 1700's. Also, they sell the seed in "Select Seed" on page 50 if you have access to that seed catalog. My Mom has always referred to it as wild verbena and i suppose that is sort of a vague description. I will post pics as soon as hubby gets me on Webshots or some other site that will allow me to post here. Who do you use? I was able to pull alot of pics with my search engine.

I use Photobucket. It's real easy to get your free account and load your pictures on it.
I'm familiar with v. bonariensis - it grows along the roads here, too, and I see butterflies nectaring on it often. I think Mike in Virginia says it's one of his best nectar plants.
MissSherry

MissSherry, I really missed you guys, and now, so many of these threads are exactly what has been on my mind. How could I have stayed away so long? Thank you, thank you for your comments on how easy it is to propagate Buttonbush. I, too, have seen LOTS of large swallowtails, especially Tigers, on my Buttonbush flowers. Tomorrow I will go out and take cuttings!!!!!!! We just dug a big pond and I can put it along the edge with the one Buttonbush I already planted.

Does anyone here know of or grow the pink-flowered cultivar of Buttonbush, 'Sputnik'? Its blooms blooms are supposidly both larger and longer-lasting than the straight species. Does anyone have a photo of it?

Fledgling, I've not heard of the cultivar. However, I would be hesitant to try it, mainly because often when a hybrid is created, it loses some of the nectar in the process. Maybe, maybe not. I am trying to stick with mostly natives, because these are the plants that see to provide lots and lots of nectar for the butterflies. I guess that's why you see so many more butterflies in native habitats than in home gardens.

I would be interested in other opinions, though, on how well it serves as a nectaring shrub.

Susan

I've never heard of 'Sputnik', at least not the buttonbush by that name - I'll have to look it up.
MissSherry

Carol, it's good to hear from you again - I don't know why you've stayed away so long, either!
I sit down and drink iced tea during the day when I'm resting from working outside - that's when I get on the computer. Right now it's coffee, though! :)
I just rooted 2 buttonbushes - you can't get any easier to root and grow than cephalanthus occidentalis, at least I think that's what the scientific name is! :)
MissSherry

susanlynne48, Sputnik was selected from a wild stand in Oklahoma as a natural mutation.

This site has some info on it

Here is a link that might be useful: Sputnik

Last year my buttonbush only bloomed once, so when it bloomed earlier this year, I thought those were the last I'd see for the year - wrong! It's blooming now, and the tiger swallowtails, once again, really love it!
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MissSherry

I just bought two of these from Edith, what pretty leaves it has! I love it already. I just re-planted it from the pots they came in and usually plants go through a period of where they do not look to good- these look perfect. I can't wait to see it bloom next year~

Aggie

Yes, Aggie, I think they have some of the prettiest, most perfect looking leaves of any bush. They're real easy to grow, and they grow real fast as long as they stay damp.
MissSherry